Nauseda says NATO missions reduced hostile actions

RUKLA, JONAVOS DISTRICT - Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Friday that the NATO-launched international missions Eastern Sentry and Baltic Sentry have led to a noticeable reduction in hostile actions in the region.

Nauseda made the remarks during a visit to the Grand Duke Jonusas Radvila Training Regiment in Rukla alongside Czech President Petr Pavel, who is currently visiting Lithuania.

"The strengthening of NATO’s forward defense posture and the regional defense plan is the cornerstone of our collective defense. Czech troops in Lithuania are an inseparable part of our shared security efforts. Since the launch of initiatives such as Eastern Sentry and Baltic Sentry, we have seen fewer hostile actions in the region," Nauseda said.

In response to Russian drone flights in Poland and unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles detected in Denmark, NATO announced the Eastern Sentry operation in early September last year, aimed at strengthening the alliance's eastern flank defence. Meanwhile, following the severing of several underwater telecommunications and electricity cables more than a year ago, NATO launched the Baltic Sea monitoring mission Baltic Sentry.

Since 2018, Czech soldiers have served in the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion in Lithuania. Pavel, who served as chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, said the deployment of forward forces on the alliance's eastern border was initially seen primarily as an element of political deterrence.

"In the meantime, it has evolved not only as an integral part of NATO defense plans, but also into a true military deterrent posture. (...) And I would like to thank not only to Lithuania, but to all countries contributing to this deterrence because this is the first line of defense securing good life for the rest of the Alliance," Pavel stated.

In February, the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battle Group came under the command of the German brigade in Lithuania, becoming an integral part of it.

Since its initial deployment in 2017, the international NATO battalion has operated as part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Iron Wolf Infantry Brigade.

Last August, the 18th rotation of the battle group began its service in Rukla, Jonava district, with Germany remaining the lead nation. Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Luxembourg also contributed troops to this rotation.

Over these rotations, more than 20,000 soldiers from nine NATO countries have trained in Lithuania.

At the 2016 Warsaw Summit, NATO decided to deploy forward forces. The first soldiers of this NATO combat unit arrived in Lithuania in early 2017.